The FBI has released a fitness app: cybersecurity experts ask not to download it

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has released an application in which it invites everyone to train the way their agents train. However, experts in the field of digital security do not recommend downloading this program, unless you want the FBI to start monitoring you, writes Popular Mechanics.

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March 23 in his official account in Twitter The Federal Bureau of Investigation published a message inviting its subscribers to upload their new fitness app.

“The FBI Fit Test is an informative and interactive training platform used to train agents,” the FBI says on its website.

The creators of the project say that users will be able to check their physical fitness by following the standards of bureau agents in running, push-ups, pull-ups and other exercises.

To evaluate the results, the application uses the user's GPS data and the phone's accelerometer (motion sensor), and this is quite logical. But online security experts were confused by other requirements of the FBI Fit Test, for example, access to the contact list, Wi-Fi, cloud data storage and even call logs.

“This is a direct invasion of your privacy! In fact, if the FBI wanted to know about your every step, everything is possible with this application, noted experts from the specialized publication Popular Mechanics. “Providing this level of access is completely unjustified for a basic fitness app that doesn’t even offer full workout programs.”

“The advice is simple: if you don’t want the FBI to spy on you, don’t download this app,” says Eva Galperin, a cybersecurity expert. “Think about it—you’re literally giving the agency the right to spy on you.”

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Experts are concerned about the trend that has emerged during the fight against the coronavirus pandemic: authorities urge society to be more attentive to their health, and at the same time use every opportunity to collect as much information as possible about our behavioral characteristics. By doing this, on the one hand, they protect us, but on the other, they invade our privacy through modern technologies. So, now in China, mobile applications are actively used that measure the user’s body temperature and record his location in order to avoid infecting a large number of people with the new coronavirus.

“When installing an application, ask yourself why it needs access to this or that information. Maps need your geolocation data, but fitness platforms don't. Online services need your Wi-Fi hotspot information, but an exercise app doesn't. Privacy and “user hygiene” are critical in the era of data management,” emphasized Amir Orad, CEO of IT company SiSense.

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